2-year-old boy suffers major injuries after being ejected in Merced County crash

A 2-year-old boy suffered major injuries after being ejected from a vehicle in a Highway 99 crash Saturday morning, according to California Highway Patrol.

The boy was reportedly not properly restrained in his car seat as his 25-year-old mother from Winton was driving a 1998 Chevrolet Astrovan north on Highway 99, south of the Shanks Road exit in Delhi, at about 10:45 a.m., Merced CHP Acting Sgt. Mark Frost said.

The mother, whose name wasn't released Saturday evening, told authorities she felt a vibration in her vehicle and applied her brakes, Frost said, adding that the vibration was later determined to be a tire tread separation.

The mother lost control and swerved to the right of the highway, Frost said. The car went up the embankment of the Shanks Road off-ramp and overturned between the off-ramp and freeway.

The boy was ejected and briefly trapped under the vehicle before a passerby helped move the car and free the child, Frost said.

He was flown to Valley Children's Hospital in Madera with major injuries.

The mother wasn't cited or arrested and the collision remained under investigation as of Saturday night, Frost said. Drugs and alcohol weren't considered to be factors.

This story was originally published June 16, 2018 at 6:36 PM with the headline "2-year-old boy suffers major injuries after being ejected in Merced County crash."